jeff, his glass in hand, looks out sympathetically. he is unaware that lisa is standing behind him, and is also watching this little drama.
jeff turns and looks up to lisa with a grin.
there is a slight, but warm, smile on jeff's face as he looks at the drawn shade. his eyes move away from the newlyweds' apartment, and slowly explore the neighborhood to his right. he finds something of interest, and stops to stare at it. his face sobers at what he sees.
while jeff has been engaged in watching this little drama, the sound of a piano has started. he now diverts his attention from the salesman's apartment to the source of the piano music. he turns his eyes in the direction of the composer's apartment.
jeff, listening to the composer. his head turns as lisa's voice comes over:
jeff begin to get desperate.
after a moment of silence, jeff says earnestly:
lisa, still looking out into the room, and without turning, says:
jeff starts to say something then thinks better of it, and remains silent.
jeff returns to the window. he lights a cigarette and smokes it peacefully, as he contemplates the neighborhood.
jeff's chair is turned facing the window so that we see the darkened room behind him. there is just one side light burning, which illuminates the side of his face.
jeff looks wonderingly at this nocturnal activity. then he looks down at his wristwatch.
what he has observed seems to give jeff an idea. he moves his wheelchair backward and to the left alongside the side board. awkwardly, with his left hand, he reaches up for a bottle of whiskey. he cradles the bottle in his lap, and reaches for a tumbler. he then wheels back to the window, and pours himself a good, long drink. he lifts up the glass, starts to drink, but something happening beyond his window startles him and he stops in the middle of his drink, his eyes a little wider then usual.
he stares intently out the window.
lisa weighs this information, trying to make some sense out of it.
jeff is staring out of the window again. over this we hear lisa's voice:
jeff reaches quickly for his binoculars, and trains them on the salesman's apartment.
the camera is now facing jeff. we see that his left hand rests on the telephone receiver which is close to him. the phone starts to ring, but makes only the slightest sound, as he instantly picks it up. as he talks, in a low voice, he keeps his eyes on the salesman's apartment.
jeff lowers his camera lens and edges his chair forward in an effort to hear what thorwald is saying. but a sudden rise in the sound coming from the song-writer's apartment, causes him to turn his head toward the studio with exasperation.
jeff turns his attention back to thorwald, but gives up any attempt at listening. he lift the long-focus lens up to his eyes again.
there is the sound of footsteps coming down the corridor to jeff's apartment. he lowers the camera lens, and turns his attention to his door.
jeff's head is turned toward her, his back more toward the neighborhood.
jeff abruptly turns back to the window, as lisa dashes into the picture behind him, and looks out. jeff's expression changes a little, as they see:
over jeff's shoulder we see doyle coming down the steps slowly, and seemingly preoccupied. jeff swings the chair around so that his back is to us.
doyle stares after her, ignoring her remark, still not recovered from the fist sight of her attractiveness.
the open overnight case with its displayed lingerie.
doyle's eyes travel past jeff to look out the window.
jeff and lisa stare at him in astonishment. then jeff recovers, and answers with some anger:
he spins around, and his face has lost all its friendliness.
lisa and jeff. she replies with some sarcasm.
doyle breaks in, takes a step forward.
jeff, reasoning:
doyle starts to pace up and down, throwing out a hand in careful explanation.
jeff and lisa.
doyle comes up to the camera, looking at lisa.
jeff is resentful of doyle's comments to lisa.
doyle has turned away into the center of the room. he swings around.
lisa speaks again with continuing sarcasm:
doyle comes toward the camera again.
jeff challenges doyle:
lisa answers, but very coldly:
jeff replies, pointedly:
doyle points to one of the photographs on the wall.
neither jeff or lisa display even the slightest friendliness. their faces are cold and set. then lisa speaks, icily:
doyle is relaxed.
jeff and lisa remain unmoved.
a little self-conscious, doyle checks his watch, and says with a pleasant laugh:
jeff and lisa deadpan.
doyle is wiping his coat lapels with a handkerchief. he looks at them pleasantly.
lisa, still burning:
lisa and jeff. jeff turns his chair around, and looks out to the neighborhood. lisa stands glumly behind him.
none of the gaiety is reflected in lisa and jeff. some new music is heard coming across the courtyard and jeff turns toward it with some irritation.
lisa is not looking in the same direction as jeff. all during this, she has been staring out at thorwald's apartment. now her eyes are looking at the apartment underneath. she murmurs to jeff:
jeff is sitting on the wheelchair near the bar, a drink in his hand. he starts to take a sip from the glass, when lisa comes out of the kitchen. she is an ethereal beauty, in sheer peach nightgown, covered by a gossamer matching kimono. she turns gracefully in front of jeff.
jeff lowers the long-focus lens to get a more comprehensive view of thorwald's apartment and corridor outside.
jeff lifts the long-focus lens to his eyes again. his expression is tense.
both stella and jeff frantic.
there is a sigh of relief from both of them.
jeff calls after them:
jeff gives her an encouraging little gesture with his hand. then his eyes lift a little as he looks up.
jeff picks up the long-focus lens and trains it on the alleyway.
jeff lowers the lens and looks down at the two women with evident disappointment.
as jeff watches tensely, the door bursts open behind him and stella hurries into the apartment.
jeff and stella look back to thorwald's apartment. jeff has the receiver to his ear, and the buzzer can be heard on filter.
jeff, urgently into phone, with a serious and rapid voice:
a quick flash of jeff and stella looking. jeff still has the long-focus lens to his eye.
stella turns away and goes quickly to the table for the binoculars. jeff still is using the long-focus lens.
thorwald has advanced to the middle of the room, his eyes on jeff and his hands clenching with the effort to control his anger.
from a three-quarter angle toward thorwald. jeff lifts the flash holder to face level and closes his eyes. he explodes the flash.
jeff ejects the used bulb and quickly inserts another.